Attendance & Schedules

Each day of school is important to a student's mental, emotional, and psychological development. Students who attend school regularly achieve better grades, tend to be more actively involved in activities on campus, and have an easier time learning the skills necessary for success in life. Regular school attendance involves three-way cooperation between the student, the parent and the school. The Texas Education Code 25.085 (a) & (b) states that students must be in attendance a minimum of 90% of the days a class is offered. This attendance law applies to students in grades 7 and 8 as well as to students in grades Pre-K through 6 and in grades 9 through 12. Nine absences or more per semester exceed the 90% attendance requirement. If a student does not meet this attendance obligation, academic credit for the class may be lost and promotion to the next grade may be in jeopardy. When a student's attendance drops below 90%, the student may earn credit for the class by completing a plan approved by the principal.

Reporting an Absence - When a student is absent, we request that the parent or guardian telephone the school by 10:00 a.m. each day to explain the absence of the student. The purpose in notifying the school is to ensure that both the school and the family are aware that we can account for each student.

Attendance Clerk: Kimberly Chambless - 682-867-3400 -kchambl1@aisd.net

All absences not reported within 24 hours are unexcused. After the third consecutive day of absence, a physician's note will be necessary for the absence to be excused. If a student is repeatedly and excessively absent during a semester, a doctor's note may be required for all absences.

Health Care Provider Appointments - We request that parents make every effort to schedule doctor's appointments outside of the school day. When it is necessary for a student to leave school during the day for a medical appointment, a parent must sign the student out in the front office with the reason for the student's absence. For the safety of our students, the attendance clerk is required to verify the parent's identification and determine his/her ability to sign the student out of school. A medical appointment pass will need to be completed by the doctor/nurse and returned to the school office for the absence to be coded as excused.

Excused/Unexcused Absences - An unexcused absence is subject to disciplinary action. The decision for determining whether an absence is excused or unexcused rests solely in the hands of the campus administration. Please review pages 50 through 55 in the AISD Code of Conduct for additional information and/or clarification regarding excused and unexcused absences as well as policies and procedures for attendance. If a student receives three or more unexcused absences within a semester, parents may receive a letter from an AISD Truancy Officer.

Vacation or Business Trips - With regard to vacation and business trips, the Code of Conduct states, "Vacation or Business trips are not recognized by the state as acceptable reasons for students being out of school and will be treated as unexcused." Please plan these trips for school holidays that do not disrupt student learning or cause loss of credit.

The student is responsible for work missed, and must check with his/her teachers for make-up work. District policy is one day to make up work for each day missed. If a student misses three consecutive days of school due to illness, the parent may choose to contact the school and request assignments. If a student is absent fewer than three days, it is best to directly email or telephone the teacher or a classmate regarding make-up work.

Students who have work assigned to them on a scheduled basis, such as term papers, projects, etc., should have the work ready on the due date even with an excused absence.